The Spirit Of The Marathon: Movie Review

The Spirit Of The Marathon: Movie Review

Rating: 4/10
Cast: Kathrine Switzer, Deena Kastor, Paula Radcliffe, Daniel Njenga, Dick Beardsley, Ryan Bradley, Leah Caille, Jerry Meyers

Director: Jon Dunham

Having just seen plenty of people complete the Round The Bays run in Auckland (and the subsequent discomfort many of them are now in) it seems a good time to examine the psyche of those who put themselves through arduous exercise such as this.
The Spirit Of The Marathon takes a look at six people who are involved in some level in marathon training and participation.
From the first timer to the seasoned pro, the doco's very good at detailing the history of the Marathons worldwide and details the run up to the Chicago Marathon.
However, I found it wanting in some places - whether I was expecting to feel inspired by those involved in the event, I simply didn't leave the cinema itching to take part in a 26.2 mile run.
But I was a little concerned I was alone in my feelings on this - so I enlisted the help of Annette Lee , who's completed 4 Ironmans, 3 Half Ironmans, 2 marathons and 5 half marathons to see how she viewed the doco which has taken 4 years to complete - as an athlete who's ensconced in this way of life, this is what she thought.
Running a marathon is a very personal thing to do.
Whilst you race with others, you're not necessarily racing against others; at least that's how I see it as a marathon runner.
"The Spirit of the Marathon", a non-fiction feature film, attempts to expose the 'spirit' but fails to delve deep enough into the runner's psyche.
The film attempts to tell the 'unique' stories of six runners but actually there's little that's unusual about them to really inspire you.
Sure 70-year-old Gerald is inspirational simply because he's 70 but then if you know anything about marathon runners, he's pretty run of the mill.
Elite athletes Deena Kastor and Daniel Njenga are in a different class and one that your average runner isn't really interested in joining.
So where was the spirit of the marathon?
The film, shot on four continents, relies heavily on the rising and setting sun, which artificially glorifies even the plodders of the running world.
A nail-biting finish at the Chicago Marathon in the men's and women's elite race is simply good spectator sport, but if I weren't already a runner, I wouldn't have felt particularly inspired to don my trainers and get out there, it all looked a bit too pedestrian even with a film crew following your every footstep.
Having said that, looking back five years where the distance between lamp posts might as well have been 26 miles maybe I'm just blase about it all now.

So, if you're a budding marathon runner or you just want to understand a little more about what makes runners tick "The Spirit of the Marathon" tweaks the curtain on the race a little and offers some interesting marathon facts that might come in useful at the next pub quiz night.